He spoke during a conference here for 400 suppliers from around the world.

"It's a strong signal meaning that we are very international and a global player," Bregier said. "The image of Airbus being only of Europe is totally wrong. We are totally international."

Airbus spends $13 billion a year supporting 226,000 jobs in the United States, he said. Airbus plans to produce A320s at a plant in Mobile, Ala., starting in 2016.

Airbus competes with Boeing to provide planes to major airlines. Boeing reported strong earnings Wednesday, up 12% for the third quarter, with plans to boost production of the 787 Dreamliner after some problems in the early months of service of the composite, fuel-efficient plane. Boeing plans to increase production from 10 to 12 per month in 2016 and to 14 per month by the end of the decade.

But Airbus recently scored a coup by winning an order from Japan Airlines for 31 of its fuel-efficient A350 planes to break up the monopoly that Boeing had enjoyed with the airline. Bregier said JAL was rebuilding after bankruptcy and found they could build a trusting, long-term relationship between the companies.

By 2018, Bregier said Airbus will deliver more planes than Boeing. He expects to deliver 120 A350s, on top of the current production of A320s and A380s.

"They are ramping up on the 787, and we will do that with the 350, but starting at the end of next year," Bregier said. "What counts is that steadily I increase my deliveries and my profitability."

Bregier argued that demand for planes is strong even with both manufacturers increasing production because orders are for delivery in 2020.

The demand is because Asia has growth of more than 10% a year, with 85% of the population having never flown, Bregier said.

In America, the airlines need to buy new planes to remain competitive and cut fuel costs, he said.

While orders for the jumbo A380 have slumped, Bregier remains optimistic about the plane's prospects. The company has 150 orders for the plane but will fall a bit below planned production of 30 planes per year in 2015.

"This market right now is pretty soft for very big aircraft," Bregier said. "We believe that the airlines will need to procure big aircraft because of the congestion of the airports."